Had a quiet day in the apartment. It was a cloudless day and our balcony is a little sun trap. I caught up with some laundry as I wanted everything clean and germ free.

In the evening we walked into town and ate at a very nice seafood restaurant overlooking the ocean. We could see quite a few boats offshore as it got dark, and the waiter explained that they were fishing for squid. They have lights on the boats which attract the squid and allow them to be caught.

The restaurant has no menus so you go to the fish cabinet and select what you want to eat. Brian had an octopus salad to start and we both shared a very large Dover sole for the main course with potatoes and freshly cooked vegetables. The sole was filleted at our table and the fish was delicious. I cannot remember the last time that I ate Dover sole. We had a nice bottle of white Portuguese wine and shared a local liqueur which tasted mainly of raw alcohol with a very light after taste of orange although it is not made from oranges. Won’t be ordering it again.

While I am not given to waxing poetic about the washrooms in any country, I was moved to take a couple of photos in the ladies’ loo as it had obviously been recently redecorated and the tiles were lovely.

I meant to mention in an earlier blog post that I think that sometimes we tend to take our police officers for granted and not appreciate our police services. The couple we met last weekend come here for three months every winter. A few years ago they rented a house and it was broken into and burgled while they were out. They reported it to the police and spent 8 hours at the police station making a statement. In the end the police accused them of breaking into the house themselves and would take the matter no further.

We are seriously contemplating whether or not to go to Naples next month, and are thinking where we could spend the five days instead,. Our concern is whether or not the museums and tourist areas will be open. We still have a few weeks to decide.

It has been a few days since I last wrote a post, but I have been laid low with a cold/flu. I thought it was a cold but had a fever for several days so I think Brian was correct in calling it the flu. Of course a head cold at sea level is far more tiresome than at the altitude at home.

I did venture out yesterday to get more medication but I was pretty exhausted when we got back the apartment.

We knew that the cleaners would be in the apartment today so we walked into the old town for a walk and a late lunch. Today was the first day that didn’t start with overcast skies. It was sunny all day, and we had to use sunscreen for the first time.

We found yet another way down to the sea. The rule of thumb is that if you are going down, you will eventually reach the sea. More people on the beach today and even one or two brave souls in the water. In the older part of town, we did come across some of the tiled facades which we had seen in Lisbon and Oporto, but these are on a much smaller scale.

We saw a restaurant which had chosen vegetation as a facade.

We had lunch at a restaurant where we could look back over Fisherman’s Beach and Inatel Beach.

Next to the restaurant is a large area with lots of wild vegetation, and it seems to be a haven for some of the wild cats in the town. They are unlike other wild cats that we have seen on our travels in Europe. These are sleek and look very well fed. The Toms are the largest that I have ever seen. Many people have dogs, but there do not seem to be any bylaws about keeping them on a leash or picking up after them. Speaking of bylaws, Portugal must be one of the last places in Europe where it is permissible to smoke on the terrace of a restaurant.

Spring is definitely in the air and patches of wild flowers appear everywhere and in unlikely places like the edge of a cliff where nobody can get to them.

We arrived back at the apartment just as the cleaners were finishing up washing the floors.

I didn’t write this yesterday as I came down with a nasty cold in the afternoon so I rested back at the apartment. We did have a very pleasant morning so all was not lost.

We like to find different ways to get to the old town and yesterday was no exception. This is a very secure complex with a gate to get into the grounds. Yesterday we came down to the closest gate to find that somebody’s key was stuck in the lock and we couldn’t shift it. We used a different gate and found yet another way downtown. We went through some very narrow streets and found a tiny shell and stone covered bar that was once a church.

We walked along the sea walk. It was much warmer than on previous days so there were a few more people on the beach. We noticed that more shops, restaurants, and hotels had opened up. The first of March seems to be the unofficial beginning of the tourist season. It was also Saint David’s day, and the night before we had seen a few revellers sporting tall hats with the red Welsh dragon on them and inflatable daffodils.

We stopped for coffee and then went to catch the little train which drives tourists in a circle around other parts of the town, including the Strip. This is the part where the Europeans come to drink themselves silly in July and August, for the most part. It is several blocks long and is mainly restaurants and bars. Here you can sing your heart out to Karaoke or get a tattoo if that floats your boat. We were glad that we are staying in the quieter part of town. I am sure that the Strip is where we would have stayed in the sixties. The train was good value in that, as seniors, we paid four Euros for a ticket that lasted all day and you can get on and off whenever and wherever you like. The round trip takes about 40 minutes.

We stopped for a drink and a late lunch. Brian sampled a traditional Portuguese beef dish. It was steak covered in ham and a fried egg with gravy and sliced fried potatoes around the perimeter of the plate. He didn’t check the price on the menu before ordering it and it came out as a whopping 24 Euros. Ouch! Lesson learned! On the whole, prices in restaurants, especially seafood, is much cheaper than in Canada.

By the time that we had finished lunch, the sore throat which had started the night before turned into a head cold so we took a cab back to the apartment for the rest of the day.

Today started cool and cloudy so we waited for a few hours for the temperature to rise before leaving the apartment. We took our usual short cut down the steep path and along a few streets to the downtown area.

From Fisherman’s Beach we took two escalators up to the top of the cliff and walked along the pathway there to Inatel beach. Again there were only a few people on the beach and one fisherman fishing from the water’s edge.

Today we walked in the opposite direction from yesterday. The bay is one huge beach, but there are various names for the beaches. The first beach is Fisherman’s Beach. The sand is beautiful and the warm weather tempted a few on the sand, but we didn’t see anyone brave enough to venture into the sea. It is the Atlantic after all so I would imagine that it would be daunting to take a dip even in the summer. I did take photos today on my iPhone, but for some reason I cannot get them to download onto my iPad where I write the blog. Any suggestions will be very welcome.

We decided to have a late lunch so we sat down at a restaurant overlooking the sea. I ordered the roast beef Sunday lunch. Not a wise choice as we are in Portugal but sorry, I was feeling very nostalgic. We got chatting to a very pleasant couple on the next table. They are English but have lived in the Bordeaux region for 15 years and come to Portugal every year for three months. Apparently that part of France can get very cold and the only heating is a wood burning stove. We stayed chatting for ages until we realized that we had been there for about almost 3 hours! One of the nice things about Portugal and some other European restaurants is that you can sit as long as you like and nobody is anxious for you to pay the bill and go on your way.

On the way home we stopped at our local supermarket and bought, among other things, some pastel de nata, the famous Portuguese custard tarts. We had been here for three days before succumbing to temptation.

As you can see, I managed to get the photos via airdrop, but all the paragraphs are now in the wrong order. Not to worry. You are all intelligent people. You can work it out.

Yesterday was our first full day here in Albufeira, and we spent most of it catching up on sleep and getting over jet lag.

The apartment is very nice and newly decorated. At this time of the year, it is still cool at night. The apartment had been shut up for several weeks with the electric shutters closed so our first night was cool. There is a heater in the living room and bedroom which work quite well, but no heat at all in the bathroom. Once I am under the hot shower, it takes quite a lot of fortitude to turn off the water and step onto the tiled floor.

We rallied in the late afternoon and walked down to sea level via a steep path. The path leads to the old part of town with its narrow streets and cobbled sidewalks. There were more people milling around this area and I suspect that many people come here for a cheap boozy weekend at this time of the year. We found a little supermarket and picked up a couple of essential items and went down to the beach. There were a few brave souls on the sand but nobody was in the water.

We made our way back to the same restaurant that we had eaten at the previous night. Brian tried one of the traditional Portuguese stews and opted for fish and shellfish. I tried the Golden Bream. Loads of nasty bones which were tiresome. We decided to walk home via the steep path which has no lighting at all so it was as well that Brian had his trusty flashlight with him.

February 29, 2020. Saturday

We were feeling livelier today so we set off for the marina. Actually there are two marinas, a fishing marina and a yacht marina. Both were quite crowded today, possibly because the weather forecast wasn’t very good. The path to the marinas runs along the cliffs so then it is a steep descent to sea level. On the way to the marinas, there are many buildings which have been started but abandoned before the condos were finished. We suspect that these were casualties of the 2008 Global Financial Crisis and will never be completed. There were a few other people walking around but it became increasingly misty and a very fine drizzle started up.

By the time that we had walked along the edge of the marina, it was raining much harder so we walked back to our local supermarket and then home. The cobbled sidewalks are very decorative in the sunshine when it is dry but absolutely lethal in the rain. We were glad that we were walking uphill. On the way we passed the street sign below. Cliff Richard, my teenage heart throb, seems to be a big deal here and has a vineyard outside of town.

Although it is still officially winter here and many of the shops, restaurants, and hotels are still closed for the season, there are many citrus trees already in fruit, and the strawberries we bought yesterday were grown somewhere in Portugal.

The complex here has two pools but as neither of them is heated, they are deserted. Tomorrow we will venture further and hope that the weather is better. According to the locals, it hasn’t rained here for weeks.

Well it was a long journey, but we made it without having to overnight somewhere along the way. We set off from Calgary and stopped in Toronto. There was snow in Toronto so although we boarded on time, we had to wait in line for about an hour for the plane to be de-iced. In Frankfurt all went according to plan, and we were soon on our way to Faro, Portugal. In Faro we were met by our taxi driver who took us to Albufeira in about 40 minutes. The roads are good with motorways with two lanes each way and very little traffic. We even stopped en route for a coffee.

At the place where we are staying, Jane, a Brit from Manchester, met us and showed us round the apartment. She lives here permanently so she has compiled a great file with lots of hints and suggestions.

The apartment is very nice with one bedroom and everything else you would expect. There is even an iron and ironing board, but that is unlikely to be used. I am on holiday and don’t mind the wrinkled look. The apartment overlooks the sea and marina, but it is quite a steep walk down to them. This should be great to get us in training for our walks in Tavira later in March.

We had a sleep for a couple of hours and later in the afternoon, we went off in search of a supermarket to buy a few things for tomorrow’s breakfast. This was very easy, but we are quite surprised by how few people are around at this time of the year. Streets were deserted and lots of villas and apartments are still closed for the winter. The beginning of March will be the time when more places will be open.

From the supermarket, we walked into the old part of town and found a nice little restaurant. It was larger inside than it appeared to be from the outside, and there were quite a few people eating there. The menu is extensive with lots of fish dishes. Brian had an octopus salad which he enjoyed very much, and I opted for sardines. Fresh sardines aren’t in season at the moment but the frozen ones were superb and Brian had to eat the fourth one for me. At the end of the meal, we were given a complimentary glass of port. The meal included two main dishes, one soup, two very large glasses of wine, two small bottles of sparkling water, and two cups of coffee. The bill came to approximately $50. What a bargain! While we were there, we saw a couple eating one of the local dishes. It was rabbit and clam stew, and Brian is anxious to try that.

We didn’t fancy the steep walk back to the apartment so the server at the restaurant called a taxi for us and we were driven home for four Euros. Another bargain.

Tomorrow we will explore more of the town and go down to the beach. There is a long walk that runs parallel to the sea so we will endeavour to walk part of that. So far the weather has been 20C but the forecast is for more clouds. Everyone has to learn English at school so communication with the locals is not a problem at all.

Nothing like a Canadian winter to start our thoughts on travelling to warmer climates, and this spring it is Europe that calls.

We are setting off on a 7 week trip which will include the UK, Portugal, and Italy with a number of different activities as well as the usual interesting times with friends and family.

As usual, wifi is a bit of an unknown factor when we are travelling, but I will do my best to upload text and photos.

Our first stop will be the Algarve coast in Portugal. This is said to be a very busy area during the summer months, but it should be quieter in the winter. We have a three week stay in an apartment here and then we move further along the coast to Tavira for a week long walking holiday. From there we are off to the UK and a five day break in Italy. Hope you will join us vicariously. The good times start on Wednesday, February 26.

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton